Shiro Arai

Shiro Arai was the founder of Aria Guitars, a Japanese electric guitar company that gained great international success in the wake of the Beatles invasion—both in America and Japan.  Mr. Arai was an early pioneer of Japanese/American commerce, developing one dealer base that represented both countries.  When Mr. Arai established the company in 1956, his focus was on classical instruments, as he himself was a trained classical guitarist and educator. His products followed the demand in the era of garage bands, which became an important part of the growth of the market.